Four strangers club together to drive over 1,000 miles through snowstorm after their flight got cancelled
- last year
Four strangers clubbed together to drive over 1,000 miles through a snow storm to get home - after their flight got cancelled.
Natalie Kulka, 23, wanted to get back for the holidays but her flight to Cleveland, Ohio from Tampa, Florida, USA was cancelled after a cyclone struck.
Left with no other options Natalie turned around and joked if anyone else from the flight wanted to drive home with her.
She recruited three strangers Sarah, Kevin and Nick and they flew to Nashville and then drove through lethal conditions to get to Ohio.
They rented an SUV but were given a Toyota Carolla which wasn't suitable to drive through the ice and snow.
They made it to Cincinnati, Ohio, 20 miles south of their final destination but then the only route heading north was closed off.
Natalie said: "The entire road was an ice rink, there were so many accidents.
"We had to go back the way we came and try another route in."
The group made their way back the way they came but got stuck at the bottom of a road in Kentucky.
"We had to get out and push the car back up the hill and help other people.
"It was a relief when we finally got the car up."
It was now 2am, and the new friends kept driving to make back to Cincinnati to take the 65 north bound highway to make it to Indianapolis, Indiana.
"We had a system of driver and co-pilot whilst the other two slept.
"The adrenaline got us through and we got to know each other along the way.
"We were very wary that we didn't have suitable snow clothes and we had the approach to take it slow and steady.
"Lots of people crashed and many people froze to death in their cars, it was terrible.”
After what should have been an eight-hour car journey took 20 hours, they all arrived home safe and sound on 24 December.
“We were so committed to getting there and we got to know each other on the journey. It was such a coincidence we were all in our twenties and we are hoping to all meet up again."
Break down of the journey
9.45am - Flight from Tampa to Nashville
2pm - They drove to Elizabethtown in a Toyota Carolla and managed to swap it for an SUV
The group kept driving North through the storm but couldn’t get further than Cincinnati, Ohio
1am - They had to re-route and find another way into Cleveland, they headed south towards Kentucky
Despite petrifying conditions, they got back onto the 65 north highway and reached Kentucky
They kept driving North and reached Indianapolis, Indiana and headed east
10am - They finally made it home to Cleveland, Ohio just in time for Christmas
Natalie Kulka, 23, wanted to get back for the holidays but her flight to Cleveland, Ohio from Tampa, Florida, USA was cancelled after a cyclone struck.
Left with no other options Natalie turned around and joked if anyone else from the flight wanted to drive home with her.
She recruited three strangers Sarah, Kevin and Nick and they flew to Nashville and then drove through lethal conditions to get to Ohio.
They rented an SUV but were given a Toyota Carolla which wasn't suitable to drive through the ice and snow.
They made it to Cincinnati, Ohio, 20 miles south of their final destination but then the only route heading north was closed off.
Natalie said: "The entire road was an ice rink, there were so many accidents.
"We had to go back the way we came and try another route in."
The group made their way back the way they came but got stuck at the bottom of a road in Kentucky.
"We had to get out and push the car back up the hill and help other people.
"It was a relief when we finally got the car up."
It was now 2am, and the new friends kept driving to make back to Cincinnati to take the 65 north bound highway to make it to Indianapolis, Indiana.
"We had a system of driver and co-pilot whilst the other two slept.
"The adrenaline got us through and we got to know each other along the way.
"We were very wary that we didn't have suitable snow clothes and we had the approach to take it slow and steady.
"Lots of people crashed and many people froze to death in their cars, it was terrible.”
After what should have been an eight-hour car journey took 20 hours, they all arrived home safe and sound on 24 December.
“We were so committed to getting there and we got to know each other on the journey. It was such a coincidence we were all in our twenties and we are hoping to all meet up again."
Break down of the journey
9.45am - Flight from Tampa to Nashville
2pm - They drove to Elizabethtown in a Toyota Carolla and managed to swap it for an SUV
The group kept driving North through the storm but couldn’t get further than Cincinnati, Ohio
1am - They had to re-route and find another way into Cleveland, they headed south towards Kentucky
Despite petrifying conditions, they got back onto the 65 north highway and reached Kentucky
They kept driving North and reached Indianapolis, Indiana and headed east
10am - They finally made it home to Cleveland, Ohio just in time for Christmas